Bloggers love affiliate programs, it runs in our blood, so every time a new one pops up there we go in the hope of coining a few more dollars. Adsense has for many years been the preferred, sometimes the only, affiliate program but with the introduction of WidgetBucks, things might begin to change. But before we trot along, one crucial question should be asked, which of the two provide the best results? Today I’ve decided to put them both to the test by analyzing their strengths and weaknesses in a hope of determining which of the two affiliate programs delivers the most dollars to its publishers.

On one corner we have the experienced, all time champion, no stranger to online advertising, Adsense, the Google affiliate program. On the other corner, the young spirit, only a few months old, ready to take the blogosphere by storm, WidgetBucks, the interactive affiliate network. Let’s throw them in the ring together and see which comes out on top.

WidgetBucks

WidgetBucks just like Adsense, features a pay-per-click shopping affiliate program which relies on interactive widgets for publishers to make money. According to the WidgetBucks site, ads will instantly display the most popular products based on buying trends of 100 million shoppers, thus permitting extremely targeted, content relevant and highly engaging ads. If everything goes like expected the end result will correspond to more sales, in the case of advertisers and more dollars for the publishers. If you haven’t signed up for Widgetbucks yet, you can do so by clicking here.

Positive aspects:

• Ads are new and considered a novelty, most people are still not used to them and this might deliver more conversions
• Ads are extremely interactive and dynamic which tend to capture the attention of readers
• WidgetBucks works exceptionally well for gadget, electronic, computer and gaming orientated sites given that most advertisers derive from those markets
• The widget look, together with its interactive approach, makes the widgets look less like an ad and more like a tool. Users are naturally very curious.

Negative Aspects:

• WidgetBucks is still a very young affiliate program so its long term sustainability is unknown
• Bloggers looking for ads on more traditional topics can’t rely on WidgetBucks
• For some blogs the extremely lively ads might not work well
• Only available for English sites

Google Adsense

Google’s affiliate program, Adsense, dispenses all introductions seeing as it is currently the single most used affiliate program on the internet. All this success can seem a good alternative for bloggers but you are advised to think twice before jumping the gun. Although they are the indisputable market leaders this doesn’t automatically mean they are the best solution for your blog.

Positive Aspects:

• Stable, reliable and undoubtedly trustworthy
• Been in the market for many years, good experience in the affiliate advertising arena
• Many advertisers in nearly all languages
• Google powered
• Endless inventory of ads
• Provides a comprehensive list of tools for publishers (very important)

Negative aspects:

• Ads are boring, many internet users disregard them completely
• Ad units very dull and lack user interactivity
• Secretive about revenue sharing between Google and publishers
• PPC sometimes very low
• Sometimes they only respect the advertisers side

These points are very important when trying to analyze the best option but they don’t provide us with a clear answer to the initial question. After running both affiliate programs for some months I reached a conclusion that might produce that very answer. WidgetBucks is an excellent alternative and in my opinion one of the few programs that can compete with Adsense. Extremely pleasing to the eye and interactive, WidgetBucks is an effective solution for gadget and technology blogs.

On the other hand Google Adsense is still that very stable program that can always be counted on. Although many users might dislike it, they do provide a good solution. I advise bloggers to give WidgetBucks a try and compare the end results. Who knows you might find that running them both together is the best option.